DUSHANBE, September 25, Asia-Plus — A delegation comprising senior representatives from the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program is expected to arrive in Tajikistan on September 27 for a four-day working visit, Asia-Plus has learned at the Asian Development Bank’s Mission to Tajikistan.  

During their stay in Tajikistan, the delegation members Johannes Linn, Special Adviser to the CAREC Program, and Creit Steffensen, Head of the CAREC Unit (CARECU or the Program Secretariat), are scheduled to hold talks with President Emomali Rahmon and other high-ranking Tajik state officials to discuss cooperation issues.  Besides, the visit schedule also includes meeting with journalists.   

According to the ADB Mission to Tajikistan, the talks will focus on the sixth ministerial conference of countries participating in the CAREC that is supposed to be held in Dushanbe in November.  

The delegation’s visit to Tajikistan will last till September 27

The Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Program was initiated in 1997. CAREC’s goal is to improve living standards and to reduce poverty in CAREC countries through more efficient and effective regional economic cooperation. To date, the Program has focused on financing infrastructure projects and improving the region''s policy environment in the priority areas of: transport, energy; trade policy; and trade facilitation.

These areas are critical to improving the region’s economic performance and livelihoods of the people, especially of the poor.

Spanning nearly 4,000 kilometers across Central Asia, the CAREC Program includes 8 countries namely: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia; Tajikistan; and Uzbekistan.   

In addition, invitations to participate are under consideration by Turkmenistan and Russian Federation.

CAREC is also an alliance of multilateral institutions active in promoting economic cooperation in Central Asia. CAREC is also an alliance of multilateral institutions comprising Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Monetary Fund, Islamic Development Bank, United Nations Development Program, and World Bank.  ADB’s CAREC Unit (CARECU) has served as the Program Secretariat since March 2000.

CAREC operates in partnership with other key regional cooperation programs and institutions, including the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and the Eurasian Economic Community (EAEC).  

CAREC indeed represents a true, robust development partnership; a concrete example of countries and institutions cooperating; one which also achieves the ideals set out in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness – namely: ownership, harmonization, alignment, results and mutual accountability.

CAREC is a powerful platform to marshal financial resources. The combined assistance of the multilateral institutions in the priority areas of transport, energy and trade during 2006-2008 totals $2.3 billion for 42 projects.